Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 20 April 2001 — Page 2

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THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER

FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 2001

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A 41 ..V - ' ' V , Continued from A1 so blatant. People could mobilize against that which was seen and experienced on a daily basis,” said Clegg, referring to the “whites only” signs, Black seating on buses and other forms of racism. While incidents were present in Northern areas, he says, Southern Blacks faced economic oppression and domination more consistently. By responding to real inequities, Cincinnati residents are confronting issues that outrage them, Clegg insists. He believes that some people refer to Black protest as rioting in an attempt to dismiss plaguing racial problems. African Americans are concerned about how police officers patrol their communities, he says, and officers in turn increase such measures to try to maintain power. “When this happens we start taking it out on our own communities,” said Pat Payne, who heads the IPS Multi-Cultural Center located at Crispus Attucks Middle School. “We don’t turn on the oppressors. We tum on ourselves.” The outrage of Cincinnati residents may destroy the city, she says, without getting to the core of the problem. During the civil rights movement of the ‘50s and earl ‘60s, Blacks gathered together to form a united front through marches, sit-ins and protests. Today, there must be ongoing grassroots efforts by African Americans to address concerns,

she said.

“All of the things that are going on in Cincinnati were going on in the civil rights movement. It’s another form of slavery of the mind and spirit. Indianapolis better start looking at what’s going on in Cin-

cinnati,” she added.

According to Rep. William Crawford, African Americans are

Push for peace begins, justice ],(;./ (i. ^WliriMd 'oifir ™ • ■ t, , m . . still demanded

speaking out against an oppressive system and voicing their concepts

of injustice.

“We have made progress, but have not moved beyond (the civil rights movement). This state and country is still too racist,” he said. “Police officers must realize tfiat they are servants of the people and not an occupying army.” Although police brutality cases in Indianapolis have been slightly reduced, Crawford maintains that the problems still exist. While leaders such as Arthur Johnson, Rev. Wayne Harris apd Mozelle Sanders stood up for ipequality, Blacks have since corpe together in Indianapolis to confront racism, added Crawford. For instance, public outcry for the 1987 Michael Taylor shooting in Indianapolis prompted Blacks to protest his death. Crawford recognizes that the community relentlessly pushed for last year’s settlement to Taylor’s family. “We’re in the year 2001, and we’re still divided Black and white. The same issues exist from the civil rights movement,” said William Lewis, race relations and study circles coordinator for the YWCAA few years ago, Indianapolis became the site for protest over police heavily targeting Black

neighborhoods.

Many young African Americans joined forces nearColIege and 42nd Street, proceeding to increase jn numbers as they walked the streets. Lewis recalls how some of residents referred to police officers.as controlling figures that came into the communities to harass Blacks. As a graduate student at lUPljll, Lewis is determined to facilitate discussions about racism. 4 “In the 1950s and 1960s, there was such a hunger to move forward,” Lewis said. “We as African Americans have lost the spirit of the civil rights movement. Thereis

a need for dialogue.”

By ANDRIA Y. CARTER Cincinnati Herald Staff Writer One week after anger, frustration and violence took hold of Cincinnati, calls for peace and unity have become the battle cry. "Peace begins with Timothy and continues with me,” is one of the many notes written to Timothy and his family that describes the change in attitudes that took Cincinnati from violence to peace. On April 7, Timothy Thomas was fatally shot in the chest when he ran into an alley near Republic and 13th streets in Over-the-Rhine, attempting to elude police. He was wanted on 14 misdemeanor warrants, mainly seat belt and driver’s license violations. Officer Stephen Roach, who had been monitoring the foot chase, spotted Thomas climbing a fence on Republic Street and gave chase. A few minutes later he fired one shot. Thomas was unarmed. He died a short time later at University Hospital. Roach was put on paid administrative leave for seven days, which is standard procedure when the Cincinnati Police Division investigates a shooting involving an officer. Roach has made no comment regarding the shooting. Three days and nights of protesting began when Thomas’ mother, Angela Leisure, members of the Cincinnati Black United Front (CBUF), and concerned citizens confronted members of City Council’s Law & Public Safety Committee on Monday, April 9, demanding to know why Officer Roach shot her son. After a three-hour meeting in City Hall, and no answers from officials, protesters took to the streets. Over the ensuing days, some businesses were vandalized, fires broke out, and protesters were teargassed, shot with rubber pullets, and shot with bean bags. A police officer was shot, but not seriously injured due to his bullet-proof vest. Property damage is estimated at about $1 million, and about 700 people were arrested for rioting, looting and beginning on Thursday, April 12, curfew violations. Mayor Charlie Luken declared a state of emergency on April 12. A citywide curfew went into effect from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. It was ex-

tended to 11 p.m. on Easter Sunday, then lifted on Monday, April 16, after four nights of calm. The news media revealed that some bars mainly patronized by whites remained open for business during the curfew, and police turned a blind eye to the patrons. Thomas was the fourth AfricanAmerican man to be killed by Cincinnati police since November, 2000. Since 1995, 15 AfricanAmerican males have been killed by Cincinnati police officers. Kweisi Mfume, NAACP national president, spent several days in Cincinnati which he described as “ground zero” in race relations. Mfume called on Attorney General John Ashcroft to make a fbll investigation of the latest shooting incident. Martin Luther King III, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and Rev. A1 Sharpton made brief appearances. Many attended Thomas’ funeral on Saturday, April 14, including Mfume, King, and Ohio Gov. Bob Taft. Protesting outside was peaceful, but at one point police officers fired bean bag pellets into the crowd, injuring three adults and one child. The FBI is investigating. The Justice Department is considering investigating the shooting. Meanwhile, Hamilton County Prosecutor Michael Allen turned the evidence in the shooting over to the grand jury on Monday, April 16. Angela Leisure said she didn't know what her reaction would b« if the grand jury does not indict Roach. “This city is a powder keg,” Leisure warned. “If there is no justice, they all (the 15 killed by police officers) died in vain.” 1 According to Rev. Damon Lynch III, president of the Cincinnati Black United Front, who led the charge in first demanding answers, then seeking calm during the violence, “Healing can’t fully begin until we hear from the grarid jury.” He said the community needs to form an agenda to continue the momentum for peace and unity/ Luken held a press conference Monday, calling for healing: “As a first step, we must restore trust and confidence in our important community institutions, and particularly our police department.”